


Happily Ever After

by barbaXcarisi (barbaXbenson)



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst, But only a little, Engaged Barisi, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Modern Royalty, Sonny is a prince
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-19
Updated: 2018-06-19
Packaged: 2019-05-25 13:35:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14978246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/barbaXbenson/pseuds/barbaXcarisi
Summary: “In just three days Prince Sonny is set to marry American lawyer, and former White House advisor, Rafael Barba, in what is sure to be quite the spectacle. It’s the first—”“—unprecedented move for the royal family. It was only a few years ago that the prince came out as—”“—still little known about the American lawyer who stole the prince’s heart at a human rights summit three years ago. It’s said that he grew up the son of Cuban immigrants, but details on his childhood are vague. We can really only start to follow him once he began attending Harvard on a scholar—”Rafael sighed and turned off the television. He wasn’t sure how in this day and age of a million channels, every single one seemed to be discussing he and Sonny’s impending nuptials. He didn’t understand the worldwide obsession. Yes, Sonny was a prince, but barely.





	Happily Ever After

**Author's Note:**

> I was prompted by an anon on tumblr to write either a fantasy AU or a royalty AU. Fantasy is not my things, so here we are. I decided to go modern with this one, a consequence of not being that far removed from the real life royal wedding. 
> 
> Special thanks to power-bottom-barba for talking this out with me, encouraging me, and providing me with some great lines. <3
> 
> This was a fun one to write and I hope you all enjoy!

“In just three days Prince Sonny is set to marry American lawyer, and former White House advisor, Rafael Barba, in what is sure to be quite the spectacle. It’s the first—”

“—unprecedented move for the royal family. It was only a few years ago that the prince came out as—”

“—still little known about the American lawyer who stole the prince’s heart at a human rights summit three years ago. It’s said that he grew up the son of Cuban immigrants, but details on his childhood are vague. We can really only start to follow him once he began attending Harvard on a scholar—”

Rafael sighed and turned off the television. He wasn’t sure how in this day and age of a million channels, every single one seemed to be discussing he and Sonny’s impending nuptials. He didn’t understand the worldwide obsession. Yes, Sonny was a prince, but barely.

Rolivia was small, not much bigger than the island of Manhattan, nestled on the coast of the Mediterranean between France and Italy, and kept to their own for the most part. But the fact that the future king was gay and was set to marry an American man—one with ties to the Obama administration no less—was apparently a very big deal, no matter how small the country.

He leaned back against the plush pillows and hit a button on the remote which sent the flatscreen back down into its compartment in the footboard of the bed. The bed was huge, large enough for him to sprawl out in every direction and still not reach the edges, much too large for just himself, but he was the only one who occupied it.

While Sonny’s parents had come around to the idea of their only son, and heir to the throne, being gay, they were still against any appearance of impropriety, which meant that while he and Sonny were staying here in the main residence—the word Sonny’s family used because they found castle too ostentatious—they had to have separate rooms. It felt silly, two men who were well over thirty being treated as horny teenagers, but it was just one in a long line of rules that Rafael had been forced to get use to.

It hadn’t been easy. He wasn’t exactly known for his willingness to be told what to do, but then he’d think about Sonny and a possible life without him and he’d bite his tongue and acquiesce.

So he’d given up his job—an easy task given the state of DC at the moment and he could honestly do more good with Sonny’s various charities than he’d ever gotten done working for the White House—and his freedom—he was often told where he could go and when and he was never without the two bodyguards he’d been assigned only a few months into their relationship.

It was frustrating at times and he often wondered if it was worth it, but then Sonny would smile at him, those dimples creasing his cheeks and blue eyes shining, and Rafael knew it was. Even without the formal title, Rafael was marrying a prince in every sense of the word. Sonny was beautiful and kind and smart and funny, literally the dream man of millions, and he’d somehow fallen for Rafael. He’d gotten so lucky. How could he ever give that up just so he could go to the grocery store without an armed escort?      

There was a quick knock on his door and he double checked to make sure the blankets were over top of him. The other day one of the attendants had brought his morning coffee and walked in on him practically on full display. Thankfully he’d been in his underwear, but his tight boxer briefs left little to the imagination. He didn’t know who had been more uncomfortable, him or the housekeeper.

“You can just leave it on the—” he began as the door swung open, but he cut himself off, a smile coming to his lips, when he saw that it was Sonny carrying the silver tray instead of the attendant. He was already dressed for the day in dark jeans and a navy button down, with his wheat colored hair swept back from his forehead in a style that looked effortless.  

“Morning,” Sonny said with a grin, using his foot to push the bedroom door closed behind him before making his way over to place the tray on the stand by Rafael’s bed.

“Have you been demoted?” Rafael asked with a grin as Sonny flopped onto the bed next to him, scooting under the covers and draping an arm over him so he could pull him close and place a kiss on the side of his neck. Rafael could feel his breath on his skin as he huffed out a small laugh.

“Worried about marrying a member of the kitchen staff instead of a prince?”

Rafael hummed, pretending to think about it. “Well, according to half the world I’m only in it for the title and the money, so really what use do I have for a servant?”

“Very funny.” Sonny poked him lightly in the side with his index finger, but didn’t seem too deterred as he went back to ghosting kisses on the side of Rafael’s neck.

“Your mom would not approve,” Rafael murmured when Sonny let his tongue sneak out to taste skin, and he suddenly had a flashback to being seventeen and fumbling around with Lauren Sullivan in her mint green bedroom.

“So?” Sonny said, moving his lips to Rafael’s jaw while he ran a hand down his bare torso, toward the waistband of his underwear. “Besides, she’s not here. They both went to drum up more support for the vote.”

The vote. The other big news item besides their wedding. Same sex marriage had been legal in Rolivia for quite some time, but it had never been an issue for the royal family. Until now. Now, Sonny’s parents were taking on the task of getting parliament to pass a measure that would allow Rafael—and any future same sex partner—to have the same power and status as a Queen would have once Sonny took over the throne.

And while he didn’t think it was necessary for himself—his only interest lie in being with Sonny, not ruling over a country—Rafael appreciated both what it meant in terms of how Sonny’s parents felt about him and the good this step forward would do for the LGBTQ community the world over.  

“How’s that going?” It ended in a groan as Sonny palmed him over his boxer briefs.

“It’ll all be fine,” Sonny assured him, finally moving to capture his lips. “And even if it doesn’t pass, you have no problem being my pretty trophy husband, right?”

Rafael frowned the best he could with Sonny’s mouth on his, his warm tongue teasing open the seam of his lips. He tried to protest, but it came out muffled.

“What’s that?” Sonny spoke against his lips, moving his hand just so. “You’d be delighted to just stand next to me, looking gorgeous while I run a country?”

“Ass,” Rafael managed, pushing against him lightly.

Sonny laughed. “Yes, I do love yours.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere.”

“I’ll have to try other methods then.”

Sonny began to kiss his way down Rafael’s chest and he’d reached just below his navel when a knock sounded on the door.

“Mr. Barba! Breakfast is served.”

“Thank you!” Rafael called out before the attendant decided to step inside the room. “I’ll be right down.” He sighed and fell back against the pillows. “It’s like they have a radar for when you’re about to get me off.”

Sonny laughed again, placing one last kiss on his stomach before sliding back up the bed. “Only a few more days, and then we’ll be off to Greece. And,” he said triumphantly, “I’ve managed to negotiate them down to only five guards.”

“How romantic. Just the two of us and your giant protective detail.”

_ “Our _ giant protective detail,” Sonny corrected. “And besides, we’ll have no cause to see them if we never leave the room.”

“Now there’s a plan.”

* * *

“At 2:00pm you have your final fittings, and then one final dance rehearsal, and Mr. Barba, your mother’s flight gets in at 6pm. We’ll send a car for her of course and we’ve already got a room prepared for her in the East Wing, just as you requested,” Amanda Rollins, Sonny’s assistant—she had some fancy title that Barba had promptly forgotten the second she’d said it, but she basically helped run his entire life—rattled off their itinerary for the day, standing near the large table while Sonny and Rafael had their breakfast.

Rafael felt a little guilty. He probably shouldn’t have had them put his mother in a separate wing from himself, but he was already on edge as it was. Having her too close would only add to it.

“Dinner is to be served at 8pm. Your sisters will have arrived by then and your parents will be in attendance as well, Your Highness,” Amanda finished, having done it all straight from memory. Rafael found it quite amusing that she’d been with Sonny for over ten years and still only referred to him formally.

“Should be fun,” Sonny said after swallowing a mouthful of eggs. “The first time the whole family will be under one roof.”

“Good thing it’s a big roof,” Rafael muttered into his coffee cup. He loved Sonny dearly and had grown to love his family, but when all of his sisters were together it was...a lot. Adding his mother to the mix was sure to make it interesting.   

“Aw, come on, Raf.” Sonny reached over and sat his hand on Rafael’s. “It’s going to be great.”

And for some dumb reason, simply because Sonny had said it, Rafael believed it to be true. He sometimes wondered how this man had managed to turn him to mush. It was completely undignified. He chose not to share his agreement, instead chomping down on a piece of toast.

“So, we’re completely free until 2?” Sonny asked Amanda.

“That’s right.”

“Hot damn! You hear that, Raf?” Sonny grinned and tapped on the table. “Six whole hours of freedom. What should we do with it?”

Rafael had a couple ideas, but he was sure a housekeeper, or valet, or attendant, or whoever would just interrupt them anyway. Maybe if they went out to the stables…

“Nothing too crazy, please,” Amanda cautioned as if she could hear Rafael contemplating exhibitionism. “Rita is pleased so far with all of the positive press coverage, but one blip and it could all turn. You want everyone on your side, at least until the vote.”

The vote wouldn’t take place until the next Parliament session, which was weeks away, so even after the wedding they had to be on their best behavior.

“We’ll stay out of trouble,” Sonny promised, winking at Rafael and he wondered if Sonny was thinking of the stables too.

“Then I’ll leave you to your meal. Just be in your rooms at 2.” With that Amanda left them to their breakfast.

“So, what do you want to do?” Rafael asked, reaching for the coffee to refill his cup, but the carafe was picked up before he could grasp it and the coffee was poured for him. “Thank you,” he smiled at the butler.

It wouldn’t be like this after they were married, at least not at their home. He and Sonny would be living in a wing in one of the smaller castles, near the coast, with minimal staff. They’d had the place completely redone to their tastes. Sonny had even surprised Rafael by having his office done to look exactly like the one he’d had in his apartment in DC.

“I’ve got an idea,” Sonny said with a glint in his eye. “Come on.” He stood from the table, but Rafael let out a little whine, still grasping his coffee cup. Sonny laughed. “Leo can you please put Rafael’s coffee in a to go cup?”

“Of course, sir.”

A short while later, with coffee in hand, Rafael rode shotgun on a golf cart as Sonny drove them out across the grounds. “So maybe the stables afterall,” he mused aloud.

“Have you ever had sex in a stable?” Sonny tossed him a look.  “Hay gets...everywhere.”

Rafael was impressed. “Well, I didn’t know you were so adventurous.”

“When you’re closeted royalty, you kind of just have to do what you can,” Sonny said with a shrug, turning the golf cart away from the main crop of buildings.

“So where are we going?” Rafael had never been this far out before. He’d been here several times over the last few years, even more so since the engagement, but the grounds were so vast that he didn’t think he’d ever see all of them.

“You’ll see. It’s not much farther.”

They continued over the lush green grass until they crested a small hill and Rafael saw their destination: a small pond, sparkling beautiful and blue in the sunlight, a giant weeping willow on its bank.

“It’s great right?” Sonny asked with a grin, pulling the golf cart to a stop near the tree. He hopped off and opened a compartment on the back of the cart, pulling out a blanket and a small cooler.

“Yeah, it’s pretty great,” Rafael agreed, taking in the pond, watching as a few ducks glided past, while Sonny spread out the blanket under the shade of the willow. Rafael wasn’t even sure when he’d had time to gather the blanket and the cooler, but he figured he’d only had to mention it to one of the countless staff members and they’d been instantly procured and packed for him.

“I used to come here a lot when I was a kid, and even later on, when I was...struggling.” Sonny finished with the blanket and sprawled out across it, patting the space next to him. Rafael joined him without hesitation. “I thought this would be a good place to spend our last little bit of calm before the storm.”

“Oh, so this has all been the calm?” Rafael asked with a raised eyebrow, only half kidding. To him it had seemed like he’d been in the eye of the storm ever since he’d met Sonny at the summit three years ago, or at least since the public had found out about them, which hadn’t been much later. They’d done their best to keep things low key, especially early on when they weren’t sure if what they had was real, but even with all of their precautions someone had snapped a picture of the two of them and posted it online. They’d been hounded ever since.

Sonny was used to it, he’d been in the spotlight his whole life, his every move scrutinized, but Rafael was not. Yes, he’d been in politics most of his professional life, but he’d always been behind the scenes, working campaigns and advising. Sure, he’d been well known in political circles, but that was nothing compared to the worldwide notoriety that came with being with Sonny.

“Well,” Sonny hedged, pulling out a bottle of champagne and two glasses. “I don’t think my life has ever been, or will ever be, calm, but these next few days are going to be pretty insane and I wanted us to have just a little bit of time to ourselves before it gets crazy.”

Rafael’s heart sped up and he didn’t know if it was because of Sonny’s thoughtfulness or if it was from the anxiety he felt over the upcoming wedding. He wanted to marry Sonny, he did, but the thought of doing it in front of the entire world had had his stomach in knots since moments after Sonny had proposed.

“I know it’s a lot,” Sonny continued as he popped the cork and poured them each a glass. “And I know it’s not the life you wanted, but it means everything to me that you’re willing to live it just to be with me.” He leaned in to kiss Rafael, clinking their glasses together as he did. “I love you.”

Rafael smiled, and suddenly all of his fears and insecurities melted away, at least for the time being. “I love you, too.”

“You know,” Sonny sipped his champagne with a smile. “There’s no one around...”

“Oh no,” Rafael shook his head. “I am not blowing you out here.”

“Well, I was going to blow you, but if you’re offering.”

“I’m doing the opposite of offering,” Rafael shook his head again for emphasis.

“Spoilsport,” Sonny bumped Rafael’s shoulder with his. “You were going to have sex with me in the stable.”

“That was at least indoors and I was kidding. Mostly. All we need is a groundskeeper rolling up or something. Rita would have a coronary if word got back to her.” He drained his glass just at the thought of the royal family’s head media liaison.

Sonny sighed with exaggerated resignation, finishing his own glass, taking Rafael’s from him and setting them both aside. “Am I allowed to at least kiss you, or are you afraid that will get back to Rita too?”

Rafael’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not afraid of Rita.”

“Did I say that?” Sonny challenged, a smirk on his face.

Rafael knew what he was doing, trying to rile him up enough that he’d do what Sonny wanted, but there was a lot riding on them remaining in the good graces of everyone, not just for the good of the family and the pristine image they’d maintained for centuries, but for the future members of their family, the fates of which would be decided by the upcoming vote.

So he wouldn’t give in, wouldn’t participate in any public lewdness, but he didn’t think a little making out would destroy anyone’s reputation. “Come here,” he grabbed Sonny by his shirt front, falling until his back was on the blanket, Sonny’s weight on top of him, and their lips pressed together.

* * *

 

Rafael hadn’t thought it possible for a castle to feel small, but somehow, with all of Sonny’s family and his mother under one roof it felt smaller than the cramped studio he’d had when he’d first moved to DC after graduating from law school. 

They’d been having lunch, everyone, and it was loud and discordant, just like it always was whenever all of Sonny’s sisters got together, all of them vying for attention. It got to be too much sometimes. Rafael had mumbled something about having to use the restroom, but had slipped outside instead.

He’d made his way into one of the many gardens, settling on a bench in front of a small fountain. He thought back to the last time he’d been overwhelmed and had found himself in this very spot.

It had been the first time that Sonny had brought him home to meet his parents, a nerve-racking ordeal under normal circumstances. Rafael had always been great with parents, he was handsome and charming and intelligent, but none of them had been literal royalty before, and, more importantly, no one he’d ever dated had meant as much to him as Sonny had.

Sonny was extremely close to his family and what they thought of Rafael not only mattered a great deal to Sonny, but could dictate the course of their relationship since they had to have the King and Queen’s approval to get married. Sure, Sonny could have run off with Rafael and given up his right to the throne, but Sonny was too responsible, felt too obligated to take on the family business so to speak. Rafael had never been sure if it had come down to it which choice Sonny would have made.

Luckily, it hadn’t come to that. Tessa and Dominick (they insisted Rafael address them informally, even though he still struggled with it) had loved him instantly and welcomed him with open arms. There had been some concerns, Rafael’s love for his work for one, but he had the right education, the right politics, the drive to do real good, and that was all enough for them.

He heard footsteps and looked up to find Sonny approaching, looking grim. Apparently he had remembered Rafael’s go-to hiding spot as well.

“Look, I know that I need to get back in there, I just needed a break and—”

“Raf,” Sonny interrupted and something in his tone had a knot forming in Rafael’s stomach.  

“What is it?”

“I just got a call from Rita,” Sonny settled onto the bench next to him. “Now, it’s not a huge deal. It was only posted on a smaller site and no one else has really picked it up yet, but she thought we should know.”

Rafael felt himself growing frustrated. “Are you going to tell me what it is, or continue being unnecessarily cryptic?”

“Sorry,” Sonny pulled his phone out of his pocket, cued up the page he wanted, and handed it over to Rafael.

Rafael’s heart leapt into his throat the minute he read the headline.

**_Cinderfella Story: Rafael Barba's Journey from Abusive Childhood Home to the Royal Family_ **

He didn’t want to read it, but he had to and his hands began to shake with only the first passages.

_ Up until now there have been few details regarding the life of Rafael Barba, the American lawyer and former White House advisor set to marry the Crown Prince of Rolivia, before he attended Harvard on a full scholarship, but Buzzpost has exclusively obtained those elusive details. _

_ It turns out Barba is living a real life fairytale. He comes from humble beginnings, growing up in the projects in the Bronx, New York, the son of two Cuban immigrants. His mother was a school teacher and his father a day laborer, and it seems that not all was well in the Barba home. _

_ A source who grew up in the same neighborhood says that the elder Barba often became violent with Rafael and his mother, sometimes sending them to the hospital. _

Bile rose in his throat and he handed the phone back to Sonny. He couldn’t read any more. There were people who knew, of course, including Sonny and those who had vetted him for his White House position, but Rafael had put forth a great deal of effort to overcome the pains of his childhood, and now the whole world would know.

“Are you okay?” Sonny asked tentatively, reaching out to grasp his hand.

“Your parents? Do they—”

Sonny shook his head. “No, Rita has only spoken to me so far. And like I said, she doesn’t think it will get much traction.”

In the short time Rafael had been acquainted with Rita Calhoun he hadn’t known her to pull any punches and he wondered why she was choosing to do so now. Someone of her caliber knew damn well that it was only a matter of time before the mainstream media picked this up.

“I have to tell my mother,” he realized. This would crush her. “I have to warn her that this is out there.”

Sonny nodded. “I’ll send her out.” He hesitated a moment, wrapping his hand around the back of Rafael’s neck and pressing their foreheads together. “I love you, okay? And I’m so sorry that this is happening, but we’ll get through this. Together.”

Rafael only nodded the best he could with Sonny’s forehead still on his, the lump in his throat having grown too great for him to speak. Sonny pulled back, kissing his forehead before rising to go find Lucia.  

This was it, Rafael thought while he waited,  he’d worked so hard for all of his successes and accomplishments, and he and his family would be reduced down to nothing more than a stereotype. For the rest of his life, no matter what he did, this would pop up when anyone Googled him.

Was this really the kind of life that he wanted? His every mistake, every blemish on his past, on display for the entire world to see? He’d thought it was worth it, that Sonny was worth it, but now he wasn’t so sure. Everything had suddenly shifted and he felt off balance. Sonny had been born into this life, had his name splashed across headlines literally since birth, he was used to it, but Rafael was not and he was starting to think that he never would be. That he didn’t want to be.

The unmistakable sound of heels on cobblestone shook him from his thoughts and in only a few moments his mother rounded the curve in the path. She smiled at him, but her eyes were concerned.

“What’s going on, Rafi? Sonny looked upset.”

“There’s something I have to tell you.” He gestured for her to join him on the bench and when she did he took a deep breath, letting it all spill out quickly, explaining the article and its contents in as quick and concise a manner as possible.

When he was finished, Lucia was quiet, her eyes fixed on the fountain as it gurgled.

“Mami,” Rafael put his hand on hers. “I’m so sorry. I did my best to keep people from finding out.”

“It’s fine, Rafi,” she said, finally turning to look at him. “I made my peace a long time ago, so don’t worry about me. I’m okay. It’s okay.”

“No,” Rafael shook his head, “It’s not. You’re so much more than the former wife of an alcoholic abuser.”

“You’re right,” she agreed, squeezing his hand. “And you’re so much more than the son of an alcoholic abuser.”

“But that’s all anyone will see from now on.”

“I don’t believe that. Yes, people will gossip for awhile, but in the end they’ll see that you got out and made something of yourself. We both did.” She gave him a smile and patted him on the cheek, and he couldn’t help but smile back at her. But his smile was short-lived.

“I don’t think I can do this.” It was almost a relief to say it out loud, the thing that had been picking at him for weeks now.

“What? All because now people know what we have all along? That your father was a bastard?” She waved a hand. “What kind of sense does that make?”

Rafael shook his head. “It’s not just that. It’s all too much. Can I really live this way? Wary of who to trust because at any moment all of my personal business can just pop up on the internet?”

“You were in politics,” Lucia deadpanned. “That’s always been your life.”

She had a point, but he wouldn’t be deterred. “It wasn’t like this. I feel like any moment the ground is going to fall out from under me. My whole life I’ve been so sure of everything, every move I’ve ever made has been carefully calculated, and now it feels like nothing is in my control.”

“Let me ask you something, mijo.” She once again gripped his hand. “Does any of this uncertainty apply to Sonny? The way you feel about him?”

“No,” he answered without hesitation. “I’ve been sure about Sonny since the day I laid eyes on him.” It was true. Sonny had shaken his hand and looked at him with those blue eyes and that smile and Rafael had been a goner.

“Then that’s all that matters. The two of you love each other. The rest will fall into place.” She looked up at him and her eyes shone with tears. “Mine turned out to be a frog, but you’ve found an actual Prince Charming, don’t give that up. You deserve to be happy, Rafi and you’re the only one standing in your way.”

He considered that. “What if I mess things up? What if I’m not good at this and Sonny realizes it and then…”

“Ah,” Lucia said as if she’d just figured out something. “While I have no doubts that you will be successful in carrying out your duties—you’re great at everything you do, so why would this be any different— but I don’t think Sonny loves you because of your diplomacy. I see the way he looks at you. He loves you so much and I think you owe to yourself and to him to trust that.”

He was quiet a moment, letting her words sink in. She was right. Sonny had never done anything but love him unconditionally and it wasn’t fair to doubt him. It was his own fears and insecurities causing it, not Sonny.

“You’re right,” he said finally and Lucia smiled, leaning over to bump his shoulder with hers.

“When am I not?”

* * *

By the time Rafael returned to the dining room lunch had adjourned and the only people there were the staff members who were cleaning up. 

He checked his watch, they had about an hour until they needed to be at the cathedral for the rehearsal, followed by a party so extravagant he felt ridiculous calling it a rehearsal dinner—he didn’t recall Oprah being in attendance at any rehearsal dinner he’d ever been to before—even though that’s what it had been dubbed. Sonny was probably getting ready.  

He found him in his room, bare chested and buttoning a pair of wool slacks. He was beautiful, all smooth, pale skin and lean muscle.

“Hey,” Sonny smiled when he saw him. “How’d it go with your mom? Everything okay?”

“She took it better than I did,” Rafael admitted, stepping close. Something in Sonny’s expression told him he’d known that would be the case, but he was kind enough not to say it. That was Sonny, always kind. Always wonderful. Perfect.

“She’s strong. That’s where you get it from.”

“I love you,” Rafael spoke the words before he’d even thought them, needing to say them. “But I might mess this up.” He put his hands on Sonny’s hips, running thumbs in circles over bare skin to comfort himself more than anything. “I might not say the right thing, I might not be good at running a country, I don’t know.”

“Raf,” Sonny tilted his head, “Where is this coming from? I’m not worried about any of that.”

“But I will love you,” Rafael continued on. “Always, and do my best to make sure that you’re happy. And I hope that’s enough. That I’m enough.”

“More than enough,” Sonny assured him, dipping his head and pressing their lips together in a brief kiss. “And I never want you to think otherwise. I love you.”

“I want to marry you.”

Sonny’s grin widened and his dimples deepened. “That’s a good thing since we’ve got all of those people coming tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow,” Rafael repeated, feeling excited about the idea of finally becoming Sonny’s husband, everything else fading to the background.

“And then it’s happily ever after.”

Rafael wanted to make some comment about the cheesy line, but his heart was too full and Sonny was kissing him again and maybe he wasn’t too far off. Maybe they would live happily ever after. He couldn’t wait to find out.


End file.
